The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-06-25


 from level, sandy plains; and curious and gigantic figures, hewn from the solid rock by natures own chisels, in vite the attention of the geologist. | Vast Indian mounds, preserving still, after untold centuries of tempest and rain, the strange shapes of mythologi- cal beasts, birds and reptiles given them by their mysterious builders when the world was new, and opera chorus and ballet girls were young, furnish themes for the investigation of the arch1ologist; while poets and nature lovers find themselves face to face with Divinity and beauty at every turn. No description can describe the marvellous formation of the rocks around the lake Such names as Cleo patia's Needle, the Turks Head, the Elephant and the Devils Doorway convey some idea of the mighty forms that, rearing themselves hundreds on hundreds ot feet above the lake they guard, confront and amaze one at every step. Many of them suggest assem- blages of gigantic Egyptian gods. carved by the fingers of volcanoes. catarets and whirlpools ages on ages ago. The woods are full of game, aud the waters full of fish, including the black bass and the speckled trout.
 Only about three hours drive away over beautiful roads are the far famed and vet too little known Wisconsin Dclls, a miniature art gallery ofature's witcheries and wonders. A glory of cavern and valley, of beetling crag and drowning precipicc, far distant arch ways overhead, and vast bow lders of moss grown stone underioot. Tower ing clasm walls, winding and twist ing so near together that the cXplor- CTS hands rest on both sides at once, and SO high that the blue sky seems resting flat upon the slender rift in i the root of stone, through which the dim and pallid light comes trickling in with the glistening watcr-drops that perpetually tinkle from above. And all the vast, weird structures of stone, walls, roofs and floors, semi subterranean chambers and corridors. i torrent -chiseled statues, arches and pillars, covered with an endless pro- fusion of exquisite mosses and ferns fourteen varieties of ferns i'll single canyon. The crystal streams that tumble and foam along the pathway swarm with speckled trout, and every step and turn reals labyrinth of novel, wild and beautiful scenes, as though kcntucky's Mammoth Cave had been rent open tt the top by an earthquake, and tapestried with spray gemmed evergreens and flowers.
 On, two hundred and thirty miles, through the castled and pillared rocks of Baraboo, and the great pineries of Black river and the Eau Claire; past the picturesque Black River Falls and the dells of the St. CroiX, into St. Paul, one of the municipal wonders of the world. An Indian trading post twenty-five years ago. small iron tier town fifteen years ago, n place of i5,0o0 people in 1880. To-day, n rushing city of over 100000 inhabit- ants, with public and private build ings that compare not unihvorably with those of Chicago or New York. Over two hundred and fifty trains daily come into, and go out of, it's i Union depot. One of its daily papers, the Globe, has ten-story office, with a tower that would ovcrtop the itinoii- one of the New York Tribune. and every business is pushed on metro politan scale.
 Five miles above is Fort Smelling, the most picturesque post, with per haps one exception, owned by the United States government; and two miles above the fort are the Falls of Minnehaha, famed in Indian legend and poetry as the scene of Hiawatha's wooing.
 Four miles above the "Laughing Waters" is Minneapolis. the twin sis ter of St. Paul, and forming with 1t the dual city of the great northwest. lamps meet at night, and they are practically one city, but they hate each other with hatred that makes the devils animosity to holy water seem the tenderest affection. When the war closed Minneapolis was little more than loggers' and raftsmen's camp at St. Anthony's Falls. It was incorporated as A town in 1867. In 1870, it had about 12,O00 inhabitants, and in 1880 it had reached 45,O0O. To-day it has upward of 100000 and is rapidly rushing toward 200 900. It has the largest fouring mills in the world, one of them being able to turn out 6,500 barrels of flour a day, or enough to load three freight trains of twenty cars each. Many of its public and private edifices are AS handsome as any in the Union, and its people are unsurpassed in energy, enterprise, hos pitality and cheek.
 About fifteen miles, or a haif-hour's run, from here is Lake Minnetonka, s.